Menya Kaijin Shinjuku Ten

This ramen shop is a good break from the usual rich, meat-based ramen. They serve thin, firm noodles that go really well with the strong dashi stock made from grilling and then simmering around 4-5 types of fish usually— this time; golden-eyed snapper, bonito, conger eel, and red sea bream. They serve it with grilled heshiko (fermented mackerel) rice ball which is recommended to be dipped in the soup and consumed like porridge. It was really light, perhaps a little too mild for my taste, but my mom loved it.

A wonderful place to try a different kind of ramen, seafood. The broth was so light and slightly salty, it didn’t make you feel really full afterwards like a lot of other broths. The shrimp meatball and chicken meatball toppings were also delicious. The noodles were thin and easy to eat. The service was nice and it feels like a hidden gem in Shinjuku

This place is for those who appreciate subtlety and seasonality in ramen. The ever-changing fish broth keeps things fresh, and the topping choices show real thought. The meatballs offer variety and some surprises. Worth a try if you’re into lighter, fish-based ramen. My full review can be found on my blog

I took a ramen called "あら炊き塩らぁめ". The meatballs were delicious. However, though the soup was understood to be made by simmering different kinds of fish bones, it lacked flavour. For me, the noodles were too soft.

I don’t think I’ve appreciated shio ramen until I tried their ramen. I kept saying it’s surprisingly good as I ate! Make sure to look at the reference photos in order to easily locate the place because Gmaps makes an error when you’re really close by. Look for the stairs between Lad’s and TUC, to the right of the huge lighted arch.

A great spot if you’re into seafood ramen! The broth is super flavorful and light, made from fish and seafood instead of the usual pork. The portions are big for me. They even include an onigiri, which is a nice touch. The place itself is pretty small but cozy, and the staff are friendly. It’s a bit different from your typical ramen experience, but definitely worth trying if you’re in Shinjuku and craving something unique!

A bowl of ocean. Fish broth has a very rich umami taste. Clams are very fresh, can even taste the ocean saltiness. Al dente ramen, firm not soggy. Slightly thicker than traditional thin ramen noodles. This place is for people looking for extreme umami ramen instead of traditional Shoyu rich broth ramen.

Wonderful little ramen place with a lighter, more subtle take on ramen. The fish broth and seafood meatballs are super light but also very flavorful. Staff is friendly and the place offers a great vibe.

Very good seafood shio ramen broth ! Grab a beer and any of the ramens and you're good to go. Can be super busy at times , or super slow. Is what it is !! Tip : english menu available

Fantastic Shio Ramen!!!!...I definitely prefer to Tonkatsu, so much lighter and uses Seafood instead of Pork...Small mom and pop restaurant... I love this place and 100% recommend eating here if you are a fan of Ramen!!!

As someone who doesn't eat pork, I was very excited to try a fish broth based ramen. I know this shop is tiny, so we got there about 20 minutes before opening, and a line started forming up the stairs leaving up to the door about ten minutes before opening. I didn't realize that the standard ramen comes with a onions. I tried to add them as a topping, but I think the server thought I didn't want them and left them off. Oops! Just leave everything as is, and you'll be good. The broth was light, maybe too much so. It had very little flavor. The noodles had nice texture, though I wasn't a fan of the chicken cartilage meat ball. It was filling, yet not heavy, and cheaply priced. You don't need to order the grilled rice ball to add to it unless you are just very hungry. I don't think the ramen is worth going out of your way for though if you're looking for flavor. I've checked fish based ramen off my list now, so I'm good.

Delicious ramen spot, that's all they have and luckily there's an English menu. It's a bit hidden, on the second floor of some building, but this place is legit, small and delicious and non pretentious.

Be prepared for ramen completely different than what you're used to. The broth here is practically clear but don't be mistaken - the flavor is just as rich. After trying several other more rich broth shops, Menya was such a refresher. The noodles were cooked perfectly as well (and you can order a larger portion at no charge). The chicken and fish balls that come with taste real and not full of fillers, and the set with the rice is a nice extra in case the bowl of noodles by itself isn't enough. Even the toasted rice ball has a nice fishy taste to it, well done. The restaurant is on the 2nd fl of a building next to an arcade.

If you're in Shinjuku and you're up for trying a non Tonkotsu ramen, then go check out Kaijin. They make a fish broth ramen and it's super delicious, refreshing, and light. There's usually a wait, but it's definitely worth it.

We had a Tokyo local take us to this ramen restaurant. It is on the second floor across from the Southeast entrance of Shinjuku station and you can expect to wait in line, as there are few tables and the place is popular. I am pescetarian and therefore can't eat regular pork based ramen. This place has seafood only ramen. They only have two types of bowls to chose from, regular salt based broth and spicy. The flavor was light, not too salty and they drop a few fish cakes in there. You can ask for extra noodles for no extra charge. Service is friendly and English menus are available.

I don't understand all the rave reviews for Kaijin - but I'm guessing that it's because most of the reviewers are foreigners? Locals know that the best FISH BASED broth ramen in Tokyo is at TAISHOKEN. The food here... well... bimiyoooo. It's aiiiiiight. Taishoken has a better tasting soup broth, and there are several locations in Tokyo. The service here... it's downright RUDE, which is CRAZY to me because Japan has a culture where EVERYONE is welcoming to guests, and caters to okyakusama - the customer. The location of this place is pretty close to the Shinjuku JR South exit. However, I'd only visit this place IF you don't have big bags with you. I've seen gaijin (foreigners) visit the restaurant with their bags, and the main waitress lady treated them VERY rudely. The situation made me think this place was the Japanese version of Soup Nazi Kitchen on Seinfeld. SHEESH. Horrible. Another thing to consider if you come here with bags (heaven forbid you actually travel with luggage)... you will need to lug them up a few flights of very THIN stairs (mendokusai - pain in the ass) and once you make it into the tiny restaurant, the old lady won't be very happy about it. Oh, and this place is CASH ONLY. I absolutely love Japan and Tokyo, and I absolutely HATE to give bad reviews to restaurants, but this place deserves it in my opinion. And I've eaten at a TON of places all over Japan and Tokyo. So trust me, there are better spots for fish based ramen.

Seafood base ramen, no pork are use. The soup are very nice and full with seafood flavor. The staff are very helpful and English menu are available, do ask for it. Located near the JR Shinjuku Station, look out for the outdoor tourist information center are near by too.

As a ramen lover, I definitely recommend this place. Unlike a normal ramen store that usually uses bone broth and chashu (pork), it features the fish balls and fish broth, and it changes by season depending on what fishes they get. Light but umai soup is the best comfort for your stomach. There is always a wait even at 9pm. But it moves rather fast, and they take the order before you enter the store. Worth the wait. The store inside is tiny and simple. There are only two type of ramen - no spicy and spicy. AVOID THE MOST SPICY ONE! I totally underestimated the spiciness and all I tasted was the burning spiciness. I mean, I can usually handle Sichuan level of spiciness, but this ramen is too much for me. Just go with the non-spicy one, and you can add pepper later if you want. You probably won't do it because the soup is so delicious and you would want to drink it up just like that. The topping has myoga, a Japanese special ginger, which goes really well with the soup. The fish balls are delicious! You can ask for youzi kousyo (a type of citrus pepper) which is not spicy and goes well with the soup.

Amazing ramen. Some of the best food I had while in Tokyo. Well worth the wait. I wish I could go back tomorrow. So good!

tired of the super rich and thick meaty broth of miso, shoyu or shio based ramen in japan? uhh never! but this place serves a seafood based ramen with shrimp and chicken balls. broth is super light and clear and tasty. ramen is the thinner style, so slurp them up quickly because texture can change with the warm broth. the basic ramen comes with a shrimp ball and a chicken ball. the textures of these balls are a little on the mushy side, not much texture to them except for the crunchy tendons mixed into the chicken ball. the balls were definitely not the main thing, the soup and noodles were tasty. you can get it with a grilled rice ball too that you place in the broth after you are done with the noodles. yes, carb overload, but it soaks up all the wonderful light broth.

Kaijin is the best fish broth based 'Shio(Salt)"ramen restaurant in Tokyo. The restaurant is very small but it is worthy trying. I visit this place every time I go back to Japan. It is located a min away from Shinjyuku Station.